Tajikistani farmers collected a record potato harvest last year. According to the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Tajikistani farmers last year produced 1.145 million tons of potatoes, which is 4.6 percent more than in 2022.
An official source at a MoA says that of this amount, more than 798,000 tons of potatoes were produced by all categories of farms and the rest was produced by the population on their plots.
It is to be noted that this is the most productive year for potatoes in the history of independent Tajikistan. Before that the most productive years for potatoes were 2013, 2020, 2021 and 2022. During these years, Tajikistan produced more than 1 million tons of potatoes.
Last year, average potato yields in Tajikistan were about 2.4 tons/ha. In terms of potato yields, Tajikistan is in the second place among the Central Asian nations, being behind only Uzbekistan, which last year yielded more than 3.5 tons of potatoes from one hectare.
According to the latest data of the agencies for statistics of Central Asia’s nations, Tajikistan is in the fourth place among the Central Asian nations in terms of potato production.
The MoA had earlier stated that annual potato consumption in Tajikistan is 92 kilograms. .
According to the MoA report, which includes only data on farming units and state-run farms, 33,524 hectares were allotted last year for potato cultivation.
According to other data, a total area under potatoes, including personal subsidiary plots, last year exceeded 40,000 hectares.
To-date, the stock of potatoes in warehouses has been almost 176,000 tons, which is 8,000 tons more than in 2022. Besides, almost 176,000 tons of potatoes have been stored in cold rooms, which is 610 tons more than in 2022.
This resource will be used in early spring when the produced potato supplies run out.
Current average price for one kilogram of potatoes at Tajikistan’s bazaars is relatively stable within 4.00-5.00 somonis.
Recall, Deputy Prime Minister, Sulaimon Ziyozoda, said at an official opening ceremony of the potato festival in Dushanbe on November 26 last year that “according to the preliminary data, potato production this year will reach 1.15 million tons, and thereby, the forecast indicator set at 1.112 million tons will be exceeded.”
Potato is a widely grown crop in Tajikistan, most likely cultivated primarily at higher altitudes than areas dedicated to other principal crops, especially wheat and cotton.
